


What Happens Afterwards?

by AlexaNDYE



Series: What Happens Afterwards? [1]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie) Spoilers, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-02
Updated: 2015-05-05
Packaged: 2018-03-26 17:56:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3859486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexaNDYE/pseuds/AlexaNDYE
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of Pepperony fics that are set either mid-Age of Ultron or post-Age of Ultron.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. After the Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony reunites with Pepper after the battle, and Pepper finally meets Vision.

Tony cursed under his breath when the glass crunched underneath his feet. He tried to maneuver around the destroyed lounging area of Avengers Tower, but debris and glass was scattered everywhere, leaving little breathing room. As he weaved his way through the rubble, he made small notes who to call, what to clean up, and what to do. Pepper was bound to hear about the entire thing, but after the catastrophe with Stark Tower, he didn’t want to make Pepper remodel the place again.

He made his way through the gym, ignoring the robot cutouts in the walls, the ones when Ultron first made his appearance, and then made his way towards the bar. He ignored the bullet casings that littered the couches and the stairs and then pushed away a huge piece of ruble with his foot.

A figure, out of the corner of his eye, caught his attention. His head snapped up, thinking it was a new bad guy or some part of Ultron that was still left, but when he saw the flowing orange hair that was neatly tied into a ponytail, he instantly sighed in relief.

A smile graced his lips, but it wasn’t a big one. She was gazing out towards the back of the tower where the telescope and a lounging chair was. He often gazed up at the stars in his free time, partially worried that a gaping hole would form in the sky again, but also in part fascination with the solar system and the beauty the universe had to offer. Pepper joined him a few times, but not enough to make it a frequent occurrence, even though he wanted it to be.

“You’re home early,” Tony said softly as he stopped a few feet behind her.

Pepper glanced over her shoulder; his eyes caught the small smile on her face.

“I know things are a little messy around here,” He stammered as he scratched the back of his head. “I was going to clean it up before you came home, and in my defense, which you’ll probably ignore anyways, I didn’t mean for things to happen this way, so in a way, it wasn’t really my fault—even though it was.”

Pepper turned around this time to face him; he gazed at her body, loving every contour, and then gazed into her eyes, her soft, beautiful, ocean blue eyes. She gave him this look like she’s heard it all before, even though she has.

“You’re incorrigible,” she muttered with a smirk.

He breathed a laugh. Of course she’d tell him he was impossible.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what? For the mess?” She asked.

“No…” His smile disappeared. “…For Ultron.”

“Ah, the murderbot I’ve heard so much about from Maria and the news, and… not from you.” She rested her hands on her hip, as if she was expecting some kind of explanation.

He furrowed his eyebrows. “I thought I told you.”

“You didn’t call.”

“But I texted you.”

Pepper pulled out her phone and opened up the text message, the only one she got from him during the entire ordeal. The other messages were ones from Maria, Bruce, Natasha, and Fury, all asking if she was safe from harm, or if she needed to be moved to a safe location.

She held up the screen from her phone and Tony took a step closer. He read the message and it was all garbled words that made no sense at all.

He winced. “I was in a rush.”

“Uh-huh.” She said in acknowledgement.

“I’m sorry I didn’t give you a proper message.” He apologized quickly and pulled her in by her waist.

“I’m not mad at you.” Her voice was still stern.

“You’re not?”

“No. I would just like a proper explanation when my boyfriend creates a robot that wants to destroy the world, so I don’t physically panic in the seat of a plane that’s thousands of feet in the air while the news is running in the background and reporting on every single piece of accumulated destruction.”

He winced. “So, you are mad.”

“Yes, I’m mad!” She practically shouted. “It was like New York all over again, Tony. I got no word from you. The only updates I got from Maria was that you were fine, which didn’t suppress the worry at all.”

“Pepper, I keep telling you,” he sighed. “You don’t have to worry about me… I hate it when you worry.” She stared at him longingly; it was an on and off battle. The worry gave her stress and gave him guilt. He hated it when she worried about him as he was particularly aware of the lack of sleep she got when she did.

“I’ve worked for you for over ten years, and I’ve been your girlfriend for two and a half years.” Her voice returned to a calming one, but with a hint of sorrow. “It’s an expected reaction at this point.”

He frowned at her words and dipped his head onto her shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. He truly did miss her. He breathed into her hair as her vanilla scent tickled the underside of his nose and sighed with relief. She hugged him back with mutual feelings and felt his warm lips press against the creamy skin of her neck.

“I was so worried about you,” she managed to say with a small crack in her voice.

“I know,” he held her tighter. “I should’ve called you. I’m sorry.” He pulled away a bit to briefly kiss her, but when he was about to pull away, she deepened it. It wasn’t one of those ‘I’m horny, let’s have sex’ kisses; it was an ‘I was worried you were going to die or something was going to happen to you, I missed you and I love you’ type of kiss, one that he fully accepted.

“I also noticed you’re now using ‘Friday’.” She muttered after their kiss ended.

He rubbed circles into her waist and smirked. “Yeah. It’s a nice change. It would’ve been better if you offered your voice for it though.”

She rolled her eyes. “No, absolutely not. I don’t want to hear myself around the house.”

“It would’ve been so hot, though. You know, experimenting with your voice. Maybe give you a bit of an English accent.” He flung ideas around, but Pepper gave him an annoyed look. “Maybe an Australian one.”

She smiled as she shook her head at him. “In your dreams.”

“Mm,” he hummed lowly and sexily. “You should see my dreams. There was an unintended Russian accent, but you were so hot. You were wearing this two piece bikini that practically slipped off when I tugged on it.”

“Tony…” She muttered. The fear in her voice is what made him stop talking. He saw her gaze and immediately followed it; he turned around and moved himself so he stood in front of her and protected her. He expected to see some sort of intruder, and for a brief second his hand flew up to call his suit of armor, but his intended call through the microchips in his arm stopped when he saw who it was.

“Vision,” he muttered as he gazed at the magenta colored being in front of him.

“Who?” Pepper furrowed her eyebrows, confused about the whole thing.

Vision was floating in front of them and then promptly, and gracefully, landed.

“What are you doing here?” Tony asked as his body relaxed; he wrapped his arm to wrap around Pepper’s backside and let his hand rest on the side of her waist, intending to keep her close. “I thought you were staying at the Avengers facility in New York.”

Pepper looked into Vision’s eyes and saw something very familiar. They almost looked like arc reactors of some kind. They were spinning intricately, as if they were merely observing. She nearly gasped when the android briefly looked at her. His eyes fell upon Tony, “I was.”

His voice. “He sounds like JARVIS,” Pepper murmured.

“He is.”

“I am not JARVIS.” Vision spoke up.

“A part of JARVIS is inside of him.” Tony tried to explain to her.

“Something…” Vision began. He looked lost. “…Propelled me to come here. I’m not exactly sure what, but I imagine it has something to do with JARIVS.” The android looked around. “This place… It’s… It feels like home… or maybe, what home used to be.”

He looked uncertain of his actions, unsure of where he was or what he was supposed to do. Pepper felt bad for him; she wanted to help him in some way or another.

“Well, you’re always welcome to stay here, home or not.” Her smile was warm, welcoming, and so inviting. She had just met him and yet she was inviting him to live with them, the Avengers. It was comforting and the android returned her smile with a small one of his own.

“Thank you.” He observed the red headed woman in front of him. At first glance, he could tell she was intelligent, loyal, and determined, but there was something else deep inside that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. He finally realized what it was when he looked between the two. When he looked at her, it was as if he was staring at Tony’s second heart, but more calm and reassuring; the two balanced each other out like yin and yang. A part of the android took a liking to them; he wondered if it was JARVIS that made him feel that way.

Tony nodded in agreement with Pepper. “Yeah, you know, just clean up after yourself. Take your trash out and pick up your poop… if you even do such a thing.”

“Tony,” Pepper chided him.

“What?” He gasped. “Aren’t you curious, too?”

“I’m not.”

“I mean, does he even eat? For all we know, his diet could be people.” He stared at her and gazed into her eyes, expecting some sort of reaction, but all she did was gaze up at him and shake her head.

In Vision’s eyes, their interaction was quite refreshing as opposed to all of the events that happened hours prior. It was a pleasant feeling.

“I’m sorry, but I do wish to be absent during moments like these.” Vision said as he began to walk away. The couple gave the android a confused look.

“Huh?” Tony raised his eyebrow.

“Please do call upon me when you’re done mating, Mr. Stark. I would like to discuss more with you. It has been a pleasure to meet you, Miss Potts.” The android said as he hovered in mid-air and descended past the lower level of the lounging area. Tony widen his eyes, and Pepper blushed wildly, at the android’s words.

“Wh-What—That—I—“ Tony didn’t know how to respond. Pepper squeezed Tony’s hand in silence, hoping the embarrassment would pass. “I should just make him clean up this mess, especially the one in the lab.”


	2. His Worst Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My take on Tony's worst fear - the vision that Scarlett Witch showed him (Mid-Age of Ultron).

“You… you could’ve… saved… us…”

Tony stared at Steve as his last breath left his body. Drops of sweat ran down his face as his worst fear was shown to him.

His friends. All of them. They were dead. The Hulk was surrounded in blood with spears protruding from his back. Nat was covered in blood, gashes, and other wounds that looked untreatable. Clint was in a sitting position, but he didn’t move; the blood splattered along his arms and his face told Tony more than he needed to know.

Thor was laying on the ground near Steve, and he wasn’t moving either.

And then there was the shield. The sign of America and the sign of hope. It was cracked, broken, and in pieces. There was none of it left.

His team, broken, fallen, and in shambles, was gone, and yet he was the only one that survived.

 _Why didn’t I do anything? I could’ve saved them!_ Tony mentally chided himself as the horrors in front of his eyes didn’t leave. Was it all his fault? What could he have done to prevent it? Just when he thought the vision was over, he heard a small gasp next to him.

He turned his head and his heart stopped. His breath was caught in his throat as all he could do was stare at the figure.

“Pepper…” He murmured in utter fear and distress.

Half of the Iron Man suit Pepper was wearing was torn away. Pieces of it were scattered around her, the thin under armor she was wearing underneath the suit was tattered at different places and overrun with splotches of fresh blood, blood was dripping from her forearm and down to her fingertips, cuts and gashes littered her face and her body, and part of the suit was piercing into her shoulder. Out of the corners of his eyes, he saw the sparks from the exposed wires.  His eyes lowered to the arc reactor; the circle in the middle of the suit she was wearing was flickering as if in some sort of distress.

He didn’t notice the boy in her arms until his eyes continued to lower. The boy looked familiar to him; blood and sweat made his light brown hair stick to his forehead, his baby blue eyes were wide open and full of emptiness and defeat, and in his hand was the last line of defense he had, a wrench.

“Oh god,” Tony gasped in dismay when he finally realized who it was; he covered his mouth with his hand and fought the urge to retch.

Harley Keener laid, lifeless, in her arms.

His body, along with everyone else’s, was splattered with blood. Tony’s eyes widened when he saw the figure laying behind Pepper. It was Rhodey, and his suit was in the same state as Pepper’s. The machine gun that was mounted at the back was ripped off and tossed to the side. Rhodey’s bare arm hung off the edge of the platform and blood dripped down it, pooling at the surface beneath it. His head was facing the other way, but Tony could already imagine it.

“Why…” He heard her voice. His eyes that were filled with guilt instantly locked onto Pepper.

“Pepper—Please—“ He moved closer to her in panic. “It’s going to be okay—You’re—“

“Why…” She repeated. He froze in place as they stared at each other. Her eyes were full of defeat and sorrow, as if she were betrayed… betrayed by him? They were empty, just like the rest of them. “…Why didn’t… you…”

And just like that, she was gone. She stared at him as her last breath was used to murmur a word that couldn’t be comprehended, and then the light of the arc reactor ultimately dimmed to black – to nothingness.

Tears formed at the corner of his eyes, but they never left.

That’s when he saw _everyone_. Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis laid next to Thor, Maria Hill hung off to the side with a gun slipping from her blood covered arm, a man with brown and partially long hair and a metal arm laid next to Steve, and Fury laid between Nat and Clint. All of them – they were all covered in blood. They were all dead and it was all his fault.

He could’ve saved them. He could’ve done so much more.

The vision left his eyes, but cold sweat continued to drip down his face.

He only saw one path – one solution – that would alter the result he saw.


	3. Don't Work Too Hard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pepper makes sure Tony and Bruce don't starve themselves to death while they're working hard in the lab (Mid-Age of Ultron).

“Let’s get to work then.” Tony said as he tapped on the screen in his hands. Bruce thought about the notion; a quiet planet where he could relax somewhere and not have to worry about turning into the other guy, aliens, destruction, and other outer worldly problems.

He liked it.

The two worked for the remainder of the night and tried their best to come up with some sort of solution to finish the artificial intelligence Hydra was working on. It was a peaceful silence for them, one where they could work without any distractions or anyone to distract them. They made it well known that if they were in the lab then they’d need _a lot_ of persuasion to be pulled away.

It was hours later when the sound of heels clicking on the floor rang throughout the lab. They didn’t register in Tony’s brain until he felt a nudge at his arm. He looked briefly, thinking it was Bruce, and did a double take when he saw her face and her gorgeous head of orange hair.

“Pepper,” he gasped. “Hey.”

“Hi,” She nudged him in the arm, again. That’s when he noticed the mug in her hand that she was nudging him with. He took the mug and sniffed the contents.

“What’s this?” He asked, leaning in to take a sip.

“Coffee. Extra cream, a dash of sugar, and a little cream on the side. Just how you like it.” She smiled politely.

He tasted the contents and sighed in content when he felt the hot liquid slide down his throat and spread in his stomach like wildfire. It was a homely and pleasant feeling, one that didn’t come by often.

He smiled warmly and kissed her briefly. “Thanks, Honey.”

“Mhm,” she hummed in acknowledgement. “Don’t work too hard.” He grinned as he watched her walk towards Bruce and give him a mug of his own. Bruce sipped the liquid and then let it linger in his mouth. He pressed his lips together repeatedly, smiled, and said something to Pepper. Pepper laughed and talked to him a bit more before leaving. She left the tray of extra cream and sugar on Tony’s desk, and left right after.

Tony walked over to Bruce. “What’d she give you?”

“Coffee, some hazelnut cream with a little sugar.” He smiled widely. “How did she know…?”

He laughed, “Your guess is as good as mine.”

“That was nice of her.” Bruce nodded as he got back to work.

“Yeah,” Tony murmured as he stared into the pit of his mug.

It was something Pepper did often when he was working in the lab or in his own workshop. She’d come down, offer to get him something to drink or something to eat. He figured from the years of working for him that he’d often forget to drink or eat. She was his reminder that he was still attached to the world, and he was so grateful for it.

He’d find small notes on his desk, right next to a mug and a plate of food, during his small breaks. Most of them read ‘don’t forget to eat – Pepper’. It was her way of helping him when he was too busy to do mundane tasks himself. A part of him didn’t like it, only because it felt like she was still his Personal Assistant. She was the CEO of Stark Industries, not his slave.

He took another sip of his coffee, sighed, and promptly got back to work.

It was close to 2AM when he and Bruce left the lab. Tony rode the elevator to his room and prompt discarded his jacket upon entering the bedroom. It didn’t surprise him that Pepper was already fast asleep; her orange hair was spread over her pillow and the sheets were pulled up to her waist. She slept on her side and Tony took it as an invite.

He quickly changed into a t-shirt and sweats, and dipped into the bed. He scooted closer to her, wrapped his arms around her waist, tangled his legs with hers, and pulled her against his chest. He kissed her bare shoulder and felt her stir in his arms.

“Mmm…” She hummed lowly.

“You awake?” He grinned and purposefully tickled her skin with his goatee.

She rubbed her butt against his pelvis. “Well, now I am.” She said with mild grumpiness.

He laughed and kissed the back of her neck. “Thanks for today.”

“Hm?”

“The coffee.”

“No problem.”

“You didn’t have to.”

“You guys were working hard.” She muttered as she began to fall back to sleep. “Someone has to make sure you two don’t starve yourself to death.”

He chuckled and kissed the spot behind her ear. She tangled her fingers with his and stroked his thumb with hers. As the silence fell and she went back to sleep, his mind wandered to Ultron. He thought of the capabilities and everything that was going into the program. He wanted to create a suit around the world so that they didn’t have to worry about it. He wanted to live a simple life; a stress-free life, where the world didn’t need to be saved – where he and Pepper could live worry-free lives, and maybe even start a family.

He looked at the woman in front of him and saw the years of work she put into his life, Stark Industries, and everything in between. He saw her worry-filled face when he put on the Iron Man suit and the small tears when he finally came home. He didn’t want to put her through that anymore.

Ultron was going to protect the world so they didn’t have to.

“I love you, Pepper.” He muttered right before he fell asleep. _I’m going to make things right. I promise._

The next day’s progress was the same as the last.

Tony and Bruce worked for most of the day; they went through files, folders, and whatever they could find to help them in their project. They tested the AI multiple times, but nothing seemed compatible with its framework. There was no entity that could contain it and the more they tried, the more they failed.

Pepper came in during lunch and left a tray with a couple cheese burgers, fries, and some drinks.

Neither Tony nor Bruce noticed until Bruce had to retrieve something from Tony’s desk. Tony took the note off the tray and smiled. He made a mental note to make it up to Pepper later on. They munched on the food as they worked, and needless to say, there were a few unintended grease marks on the panels when they were done.

Pepper came in, again, during dinner and left a tray with some hot covered food. She intended to leave right away, as she had other pressing matters to attend to, but Tony caught her before she could. He thanked her and softly, and longingly, kissed her. She squeezed his hand and said, ‘Don’t overdo it’. He watched her hand slipped from his, and then he flashed a wide grin. She was too good to him.

Bruce watched the two out of the corner of his eye and flashed a smile of his own. No one could say otherwise about Tony and Pepper. Their relationship, as rare as it was to see due to their separate, busy lives, was refreshing. It was something different – a good kind of different. The kind that makes you briefly forget about the entire world and its mess.

Tony and Bruce both retired early that evening, even though midnight wasn’t exactly considered ‘early’.

When Tony entered the bedroom, he was greeted with a couple suitcases. They were open and filled with clothes, personal items, and shoes. Lots of shoes. Pepper was already in bed, but she wasn’t asleep. She was lounging on her side with her phone in her hands.

“Hey,” he smiled warmly at her.

“Hi.” She smiled back. “How was everything?”

“Uh, could be worse, I guess.” He changed out of his clothes and into a t-shirt, but kept a pair of boxers on.

“Want to talk about it?” Sometimes, when he got frustrated with a piece of work, she’d ask if he wanted to talk about it. It got his mind flowing, and sometimes it helped him think his problems through. He’d have that look of ‘eureka’ and dart out of the room to go to the lab.

“Nah,” he didn’t want her to know about Ultron, because he knew what her reaction would be. She’d oppose it, just like he predicted everyone else to. “It’s fine. I’ll worry about it in the morning.” He slipped into bed and scooted closer to her. “Speaking of such, where are you going?”

“I’m leaving for Washington, DC.” She put her phone down as his arms snaked around her middle.

“Washington?” He kissed her. “What’s in Washington?”

“ _Your_ Stark Tower.”

“Ah.” He nodded. “Right. How is that going, by the way?”

“So far, construction is near completion, but there’s still a lot of work to do.” She sighed into his arms and leaned against his chest.

“What time are you leaving?”

“Tomorrow, at 9AM.”

He frowned. “So, you’ll miss the party?”

She sighed and leaned her head back to look at him. “Unfortunately.”

“But, everyone will be there. Helen will be there—and you know how much she loves to talk to you.” Pepper laughed; the two of them talked for hours one night during a Gala. They were quick friends after that. “Maria will be there. Nat will be there.”

“Tony, I’ve already seen them around the tower.”

“Yeah, but you’ll get to drink with them and have all sorts of fun.” He kissed the side of her head.

Pepper smiled into his chest. “What do you think we do every other Friday night?”

He stared at her. “Th-That’s what you guys do on Friday nights?” He thought they lounged in the living room and watched chick flicks together. Now all he could picture was a very drunk and giggly Pepper Potts, laughing and having fun with the other ladies.

She rolled her eyes and mindlessly played with his hand. Her fingers dipped into his and ran along the inside of his palm. “Just promise me one thing?”

“Hm?”

“Try not to get into too much trouble while I’m gone.” She smiled sweetly.

He laughed and kissed her. “I make no promises, Miss Potts.”


	4. About That Farm... Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Maybe I should take a page out of Clint's book... build Pepper a farm and hope it doesn't get blown up." He thought it would be a simple proposal.

“Honey,” Tony’s cheerful voice was heard through the speakers on Pepper’s tablet. His face popped up on her screen; his toothy grin in the picture that acted as a placeholder made her smile.

She sighed and abruptly stopped typing. It was only a month since Ultron and she was still trying to wrap up some PR surrounding the entire ordeal. Stark Industries’ stocks were down, but it was nothing she hadn’t anticipated when she heard what happened from Maria.

Pepper was still a little sour about Tony’s lack of communication when these global destructive events happened, but she couldn’t blame him. He was busy and stressed at the time, and he was being blamed for it happening in the first place. There wasn’t exactly a great time to call her.

“Yes?” She answered him.

“You busy?”

“A little. I’m writing an e-mail to the Board of Directors to reassure them that Stark Industries, as a company, is not measured by the stocks—“

“Great,” he interjected. He sounded like he wasn’t paying attention to what she was saying in the first place. He didn’t sound rude; it sounded like he was trying to multitask. “Meet me in the lab in five.”

 _Beep_. He hung up on her.

Pepper furrowed her eyebrows, and pulled her laptop off her lap and set it on the spot next to her. There weren’t many times when he’s wanted to show her something in the lab or in his workshop. Most of the time he’d ask for her opinion over the intercom, or he’d come to her directly.

Pepper’s heels clicked against the cold concrete floor of their penthouse as she made her way to the elevator. She took the elevator to one of the R&D labs in the tower and expected to see some sort of advanced newly created Iron Man suit when the elevator doors opened, but all she saw was an empty lab and Tony stood at the center, patiently waiting for her

Ever since Bruce’s disappearance, Tony has been working alone in the lab. He wasn’t particularly happy that Bruce left so suddenly, but he figured a little alone time was justified after what happened. He knew that Steve and Natasha were working with Scarlett Witch, Vision, Sam, and Rhodey, but he needed a break; he wanted to spend some time with Pepper and work on a few projects on the side.

“Hey,” Tony greeted her with a wide smile. He stood in the middle of the spotless and wide open lab with his hands behind his back. Tables, monitor screens, panels, and all of the tech, were pushed to the corners, or the sides, of the room.

“Hi,” She replied; he could she grew suspicious of him by the tone of her voice. “What was it that you wanted to show me?”

He stepped towards her, closing the gap between them. “I didn’t exactly tell you everything, Pepper.” He started out. Her look stayed the same. “I… I’ve been thinking a lot.” He paused. “I’ve been thinking about Clint and his family, and everything that we saw when he went to his ‘safe house’.” He briefly looked away. “He looked so happy and relaxed. It felt like… like he wasn’t Hawkeye, like he wasn’t a SHIELD Agent or a superhero. It felt like he was a human being… a father… a husband. It felt…” He stared at her. “…It felt nice.”

She wasn’t exactly sure what he wanted her to decipher from that bit, but ultimately decided to play along. “Okay…”

“Here,” he moved behind her and put his hand on her shoulder. He moved closer to her until her back hit his chest and took out a device from his pocket. She glanced over her shoulder and saw the small, flat panel in his hand. It was some sort of controller, the same controller that he had used to summon three dimension virtual objects, such as JARVIS. He flicked the screen in front of her, and before her very eyes was something she’d never seen before.

It was absolutely beautiful.

A virtual world was created around them, but it looked more real than ever. In the distance she saw a house; it was tan, a little old and a little used, but still very homely. She and Tony stood in the middle of a field of flowers, and those flowers, glowing in vibrant spring colors, surrounded the house. There was a barn off to the side, and some wheat and corn fields behind the house, and surrounding everything were fields and fields of grass. It looked like the house was miles away from civilization.

Pepper was at lost for words.

“Wh…” She began, but couldn’t finish. Her eyes lit up as she gazed at the beautiful view in front of her.

He watched her intently and smiled when she did. “You like it?”

“It’s beautiful,” she gasped.

Tony followed her gaze; his eyes lit up when he took in the entire scenery. The flowers fluttered in the gentle wind, the fields of wheat and corn swayed together, and the peaceful open space around them oozed a calming sensation, one that he hadn’t experienced in a very long time, ever since he became Iron Man.

“Let’s go closer.” He flicked the screen in front of her again, and their view jumped to the front porch of the house. It stretched from one end to the other, covering the house’s length. On the porch were couches, a porch swing, and some tables.

Pepper noticed a small vase of bright orange roses sitting on the white porch table and quizzically furrowed her eyebrows at it.

The front door abruptly slammed open, startling Pepper. A gasp was caught in her throat, but her mouth parted as she watched a boy, about twelve years old, cross the threshold and run out into the field of flowers.

“Catch me if you can!” He yelled happily.

“What—“ A girl, about a couple years younger than the boy, interjected Pepper as she yelled after him.

“You run like a girl, you know!” Pepper watched the girl run after him; she leaped into the field of flowers and laughed alongside the boy.

“Wait you guys! Wait for me!” A little girl, about three years younger than the other girl, ran out from the house and tried her best to catch up to them.

“Hey!” Pepper heard Tony’s voice, but it wasn’t from the Tony beside her. It was from the Tony that emerged from the threshold of the virtual house. He looked a little older than her Tony, and had a little more gray hair on the sides and on his beard. The famous Stark goatee was still there, but more spread out and unkempt. He wore a plaid long-sleeved shirt with a grey under shirt, a pair of denim jeans, and a pair of sneakers. “Be nice to each other! And don’t leave your little sister out!”

“Tony,” Pepper heard her own voice. She watched herself emerge from the house and wrap her arms around his waist. “Leave them. They’ll be fine.”

He frowned. “I know…” He watched them play in the flowers, laughing, having fun, and smiling; watching them smile made him smile. “I just don’t want our kids to get too carried away.”

Pepper laughed and rubbed his stomach with her hand; she leaned in to give him a kiss, one that lasted longer than expected. The real Pepper, the non-virtual one, watched as their virtual counterparts hugged, kissed, and flirted with each other.

“This…” Pepper muttered as she watched the virtual couple walk back inside the house, hand in hand. She turned around and looked at Tony, and his expression told her all that she needed to know. He wore a smile, but it wasn’t wide. It was heartwarming. “…What is this?”

Tony moved away from her to look out into the field where the kids were playing. He watched their expressions, how happy and carefree they acted.

“You want this, don’t you?” She murmured.

Tony turned around to face her.

“You want this life?” She sounded curious. “You want the life that Clint has.” It wasn’t a question.

“Yes,” Tony nodded twice. “I do.”

“You… you want a house in the middle of nowhere… kids… and a… farm?” Her curiosity was turning into disbelief, and he could tell they didn’t want the same thing.

“Don’t you?” He asked, turning to her. “I mean, look at this, Pepper.” He gestured to the open fields, the calm spring breeze, and the tranquil scenery. Her eyes landed on the kids that were still playing in the distance. “This...” He paused. “…this is so much better than some retirement deal from Stark Industries.”

“So, you want to retire?”

“No—I mean… Yes…” He sighed; he thought it would be easier to tell her what he wanted. “…I don’t want to retire. I just want things to be… simpler. I don’t want to be looking over my shoulder every minute thinking a gaping alien army filled hole will form in the sky. I... I want something normal. Something pure.” He looked at the kids. “Something real.” When he looked back at Pepper, he could tell she wasn’t on board with his dream, or his thoughts of the future… their future. “It doesn’t have to involve kids, Pepper. It doesn’t have to involve a house in the middle of nowhere or a farm. I just want something simpler… somewhere where I can rest easy with you.”

She began to shake her head at him. “No…”

“No?” He stared at her in shock. “What do you mean, ‘no’?”

“Tony, you’re insane.” She tried not to laugh even though none of it was funny to her; it was how serious he looked that made her chuckle. Her face fell, “You actually think this is a life we can have? Kids, a barn, fields of flowers, a house god knows where?” Her voice was rising every second as his confusion grew. “This isn’t real, Tony. None of this is real.”

“This is a virtual world, Pepper.” He was more confused by how angry she sounded. “Of course none of this is real.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about.” Her voice finally lowered. “Your dream, your fantasy. It can never be real.” He stood silent, not knowing what to say. “How many times are you going to fiddle with a tractor or some machine in the barn? How are you going to avoid tinkering and for how long?”

Pepper knew him better than he knew himself. She knew he couldn’t stop being _himself_. He was a genius, a thinker, a mechanic, and a hero, and he couldn’t avoid that life, no matter how hard he wanted to.

“How many devices are you going to build from scratch before you finally realize that a simple life is not what you’re capable of?” She didn’t want to say those words to him, but she had to be honest. She wanted him to see the underlying truth. “How long until we both go crazy, Tony? I’m not talking about the kids. I’m talking about _us_.”

He looked away briefly with hurt in his eyes as he realized how far he went without thinking things through.

“I work, Tony. I’ve been working for the past twenty years, and you…” she sighed, realizing how much she’s probably hurt him. “…you’ve been building robots and inventing things since you were six. This is who we are, Tony. This is us… whether you want to admit it or not.” She paused to look out towards the fields, at the house, and everywhere around them. “This… this isn’t possible for us.”

He hung his head low in defeat and quietly nodded. Her words, as much as it pained him to admit it, was what he initially looked over. He thought, given the opportunity, he’d be able to jump into a new life with Pepper, a simple and calm one, but now that he’s given more thought about it, he’s realized how foolish he was to believe that he and Clint were the same person. He surrounded himself in technology and gadgets, and tinkering was his hobby and kept him sane. Clint, on the other hand, could survive off of nothing; he was an archer, a sharpshooter, and it was _his_ hobby.

They were complete opposites.

“You’re right,” he pressed his lips together and flicked the screen in the air. The virtual world surrounding them stopped and crumbled to the floor. The kids, that were smiling, holding hands, and laughing together, froze in place and crumbled, along with the flowers that surrounded them.

Their virtual counterparts that were hugging, laughing, and smiling happily in the kitchen, crumbled. The house, the porch, and the vase of gorgeous orange roses crumbled as well, and nothing was left.

She and Tony were once again surrounded by the emptiness of the lab and whatever lab equipment that sat off to the side.

“You’re right, Pepper,” Tony repeated; he sounded like he was in pain. “That life… it isn’t possible for us.” The last words cracked under his voice. He turned and walked out of the lab without looking at her.

Pepper could feel a pang in her heart as she watched him leave. She let out a shaky breath as she realized how terrible she sounded, telling him how his dream was nothing but a fantasy.


End file.
